Partner Content | Champions League group stage odds and picks: Bet on Bayern to dominate the group of death

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The UEFA Champions League group stage is set as 32 of Europe’s best teams have been slotted into eight pools for the first stage of the competition.
Pre-tournament narrative: We have some drama coming out of the group stage, highlighted by Robert Lewandowski and Barcelona joining Bayern Munich in the group of death. Real Madrid, last year’s champ, headlines a weak Group F.
Check out our Champions League group stage odds and picks.
Odds as of 3:26 p.m. on 08/25/2022.
Best bet: Napoli to advance (-118)
Liverpool have been a Champions League force for some time, with three finals appearances under Jurgen Klopp. This is clearly reflected in their -500 odds to win the group.
We think the Reds will find themselves atop the table in Group A, despite a slow start to their Premier League campaign.
That leaves us a choice between Ajax and Napoli for the second spot and we’re going to roll with the Italian side. Napoli have outscored opponents 9-2 in their first three Serie A games and have made some strong additions over the offseason.
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Lorenzo Insigne departed for Toronto FC in July but was supplemented by Tanguy Ndombele and Giacomo Raspadori, among others.
Odds as of 3:26 p.m. on 08/25/2022.
Best bet: Atletico Madrid to win group B (-118)
Atletico Madrid are a really good side. They’re just two years removed from a La Liga title and finished third last year behind only Real Madrid and Barcelona.
They have a capable attack that features a mix of veterans such as Alvaro Morata and Antoine Griezmann alongside young talents like Joao Felix and Matheus Cunha.
Bayer Leverkusen and FC Porto’s away fixtures won’t be a cakewalk by any means but we expect the Spanish club to handle its business over six games and top Group B.
Best bet: Bayern Munich to win group C (-240)
This is a chalky play but we think Bayern Munich will run away with this group. In fact, we like them to win the Champions League at +700.
In the last three years, they’ve gone 17-1-0 in the group stage with a +51 goal differential. Bayern had Barcelona in their group last year and beat them 3-0 on two separate occasions.
Now, there’s a massive wrinkle here to consider. Robert Lewandowski, one of Bayern’s all-time greatest players, with 238 goals in 253 appearances, is now a member of Barcelona — how about that for a revenge game?
We don’t think that will matter too much, though. Bayern supplemented his loss with additions such as Sadio Mane and Matthijs de Ligt, two world-class talents. They also still have Canadian Alphonso Davies on the back line and won this competition three years ago.
Odds as of 3:26 p.m. on 08/25/2022.
Best bet: Tottenham to win group D (-250)
This is another chalky play but we think it’s a near guarantee.
Tottenham lucked out with Group D, as Eintracht Frankfurt only gained Pot 1 status through winning the Europa League last season.
While that’s no small feat, Antonio Conte’s Spurs have to be salivating at the idea of playing these teams six times.
The Italian manager has reshaped Tottenham in his image, bringing in a bevy of transfer window acquisitions to aid Harry Kane and Son Heung-Min, two world-class offensive talents.
Odds as of 3:26 p.m. on 08/25/2022.
Best bet: AC Milan to win group E (+325)
This is the one big upset, at least odds-wise, we see occurring in the group stage.
Chelsea are -5,000 to advance, and we’re not arguing on that front. We think AC Milan, however, can win this group and do it rather convincingly
AC Milan are fresh off a Serie A win, where they bested cross-city rival Inter Milan by two points to secure the Scudetto for the first time since 2011.
Their attack is among the world’s best, with ageless wonders Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Olivier Giroud leading the charge. The defence is solid, too — AC Milan conceded just 31 goals in league play last season.
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We’re also bearish on Chelsea. The English side has struggled to start its Premier League campaign and hasn’t quite been the same since the Roman Abramovich debacle.
Odds as of 3:26 p.m. on 08/25/2022.
Best bet: Real Madrid to win group F (-670)
We wouldn’t recommend betting this, as there’s no value in this play. However, there’s basically no value across the board in this group.
Real Madrid have re-established themselves among Europe’s elite by winning their 14th UCL title last season. They’re not going to slow down any time soon and should win this group with ease. RB Leipzig is also a strong side, and will almost certainly come second.
Expect a 1-2 combo of Real Madrid and RB Leipzig in a Group F that lacks any sort of drama.
What we could suggest is a parlay that features Bayern Munich, Tottenham and Real Madrid to all win their groups (+129).
Odds as of 3:26 p.m. on 08/25/2022.
Best bet: Borussia Dortmund to advance (-134)
Manchester City will be deploying their newest weapon, Erling Haaland, against his old team, Borussia Dortmund.
The Norwegian superstar scored 62 games for Dortmund in 67 appearances and hasn’t missed a beat at Man City, netting three in as many games.
This will be a painful experience for the Bundesliga side, but we think they’ll find some consolation in advancing to the group stage, as they’ve done in three of the past four seasons.
Odds as of 3:26 p.m. on 08/25/2022.
Best bet: Juventus to advance (-182)
We think Paris Saint Germain is the class of this group but don’t believe Juventus is too far behind.
Juve have struggled to find their jam under Massimiliano Allegri but the manager has been dealing with injuries during his tenure. Federico Chiesa should be back to world-class form soon and will be playing alongside Dusan Vlahovic and Paul Pogba, a new addition.
They did lose some big names over the transfer window but we think the White and Black are more than capable of securing a top-2 finish in Group H.
Juventus have advanced out of the group stage in eight straight seasons.
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